Tag: grammar

Nouns : Abstract Nouns

An abstract noun is a word which names something that cannot be experienced by the five senses. You cannot see, hear, touch, smell, or taste.

Abstract nouns can be hard to spot. Take for example ‘laughter’. There is a point of view that says it is an abstract noun, a concept; others maintain that because you can hear it, it can not be an abstract noun…

Other similar examples exist, but it is not worth the worry of trying to figure it out. The best thing you can probably do is to arm your pupils with a list of confirmed abstract nounsand teach them the principle behind them being such.

Like this:

Nouns : Common Nouns & Proper Nouns

A noun is a kind of word that gives a name to a person, a place, an object, an animal, a substance, a quantity, a period of time, a distance; the list goes on.

Everything around us is represented by a word that gives it its name and that word is called a noun.

The first major distinction to draw is between common nounsand supermarket.

Common Nouns

The common noun, is by far the largest group of nouns. The job of the common noun is to give a name to the everyday things all around us. Take a look around your surroundings and make a list of objects which you can see, the list will most likely be made up entirely of common nouns: chair, table, floor, pen, ceiling, ruler, paper, floor, tree, grass – the list is virtually endless…

Common nouns do NOT get capital letters.

P:roper Nouns

A proper noun is the name given to a specific person, place, object, animal, etc : Susan, London, BlackpoolTower, Rex).

Proper nounsALWAYS get capital letters.

Common Noun

Proper Noun

car

Jaguar, Land Rover, Fiesta

forest

Forest of Dean

cat, dog, budgie

Tiddles, Fido, Joey

sea, ocean

North Sea, Atlantic Ocean

pub

The Blacksmith’s Arms

monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

supermarket

Tesco, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s

tea

PG Tips, Yorkshire Tea

cola

Pepsie, Coke

Common nouns may be further subdivided into a number of categories; all common nouns will fall into at least one of these categories, For the purposes of the primary school classroom (in addition to common nouns and proper nouns) if a student can identify compound, collective and abstract nouns this is probably sufficient. The others have been included for the sake of completeness and interest:

A relative pronoun is used to start an adjectival clause which describes a noun (also called a relative clause.).

The description comes after the nounto either identify it or give more information about it…

Identifying the noun

The manwhoinvented zips became very rich.

I recognised the carwhichwas involved in the accident.

We did not see the dogthatattacked our rabbit.

Be aware that a fair proportion of your readers will not like you using that for people. It is good advice to avoid using that for people, especially in formal writing.

Note : colloquially, that is often used to represent a person or people and who is used to represent an animal or animals; though neither is technically correct they seem to be commonly accepted… one for the Grammar Nazis, eh?

Providing more information

My friend, whosebirthday it is, will meet us at the cinema.

My dad’s car, whichwas covered in mud, was parked outside the house.

Theelephantthatwas the biggest led the parade.

Who or whom?

The use who or whom depends upon whether the noun that is being replaces is the subject or the object of the verb. If the replaced noun is the subject of the sentence then we use who…

The childwhocame first won a trophy.

The girlwho was the teacher’s favourite was allowed out to play early.